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 "We can never repay the brave men and women who serve our
country, but we can make sure their families have access to all of
the support and assistance they need, whether they live close to a
military base or not," said Blagojevich. "This program will
complement our ongoing efforts to support our military families."
The Joint Family
Support Assistance Program embodies the Department of Defense's
vision to provide mobile, high-quality family services to augment
the ability of current family programs to meet the needs of family
members of active-duty, Guard and reserve forces. The program will
provide financial assistance and education, counseling, child and
youth services, and other programs for families.
Funds are being allotted for the Illinois National Guard to hire
up to five new employees as part of the Joint Force Headquarters at
Camp Lincoln in Springfield. The employees will represent
organizations that support service members and families of all
branches and components in the state. Those positions could include
a "Military OneSource" outreach specialist, military family life
consultant counselors (one family and one youth specialist), an
Operation Military Kids program assistant and a Red Cross liaison.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for the Illinois National Guard
to provide much-needed support to our service members and their
families," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, adjutant general of the
Illinois National Guard. "Our families provide invaluable support to
our soldiers and airmen, enabling them to focus on their mission.
This program raises our level of support to the families and gets
them more of the assistance they need."
"One of the great benefits of this program is to have in-state,
Illinois support compared to out-of-state counselors to support our
Illinois service members. This will also provide more continuity for
services and support," said Lt. Col. Joe Schweickert, director of
the Illinois Army National Guard State Family Program.
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 The Joint Family Support Assistance Program began with five pilot
states two years ago and is rapidly expanding. The Illinois National
Guard has started the process to implement the program to provide
support to Illinois servicemen and women and their families through
the tough times of military life, including mobilization, deployment
and reintegration, and the resulting issues that affect members and
their families.
Illinois continues to lead the nation when it comes to ensuring
that our servicemen and women have the best services and resources
available when they come home. Earlier this year, Illinois became
the first state in the nation to launch a traumatic brain injury and
post-traumatic stress disorder program for returning Illinois
veterans. The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program offers a 24-hour,
toll-free line at 1-866-554-IWAP (4927), which is staffed by health
professionals to assist veterans, day or night, with the symptoms
associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. The program also
provides traumatic brain injury screening to all interested Illinois
veterans and makes these screenings mandatory for all returning
members of the Illinois Army National Guard.
If you are a veteran or service member suffering from symptoms
associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, or if you think
someone you care about may be experiencing post-deployment stress or
other combat-related emotional issues, call the Illinois Warrior
Assistance Program's confidential 24-hour, toll-free line,
1-866-554-IWAP (4927) for more information and help. You can also
visit www.illinoiswarrior.com for more information about the
program.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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